Trousers-stretcher



(No Model.)

J. B. HALE.

. TROUSERS STRBTGHER.

No. 364.012. Patented May 31, 1887.

FIGJ. I 2 165.3.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR w v 41%.. a EQQ. Y fi m f 7/ ATTORNBYS.

N. PET .RS. Fnqmuha m hu. Washington. D. C.

' cam or eccentric roller shown in Fig. 4, the sec UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOSHUA B. HALE, OF HUBBARDSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TROUSERS-STRETCHER.

sPncrrIcA'rroN forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,012, dated May 31,1887.

Application filod February 14, 1887. Serial No. 227,635. (No model Toall whom it may concern.-

Be'it known that I, JOSHUA B. HALE, a citi zen of the United States,residing at Hubbardston, (post-office address at Williamsville,) countyof Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new andImproved Trousersstretcher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trousers-stretchers, so called-that is, devicesdesigned to remove the baggy appearance and wrinkles in the knees andother portions of the. legs of trousers occasioned by wear, and providea smooth, uniform, and dressy appearance therein.

It is the object of my invention to produce improvements in contrivancesof the character mentioned which will secure at once athoroughly-efficient, easily-operated, and cheaplyconstructedtrousers-stretcher, as I will now proceed to describe and claim,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the sameletters indicating the same parts wherever they occur.

'Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improvedtrousersstretcher. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is asectional view oh the line 00 m, Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a plan view, on anenlarged scale, of one of the cam or eccentricrollers detached from theconiplete device. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the tion being taken onthe line 3 y of said figure.

In carrying out my invention I- construct two blocks or parts of wood, AB, of suitable dimensions, and bore two holes, a a, in the formerbloclgnear the ends thereof,for the reception of the quite stout spiral'springs 11 b, as also one end of the rods 0 c, which are adapted to restor bear onone end of said springs, the other ends of which bear upon thebottoms of the holes in saidbloek. The other ends of rods 0 c arerigidly secured in any suitable manner to block B, which latter blockhas a hole, cl, bored therein to accommodate in a loose manner one endof a rod, 6, the other end of which is secured, as at f, to block A. Theend of rod 6, adapted to slide in the hole or bore (Z of block B, isprovided with an offset or shoulder, 9, between which and a plate, h,

secured to the inner face of block B, is arranged a spiral spring, i,which acts as a buffer on the sudden moving apart of blocks A B by theac tion of springs b b, the entire construction at the point ofconnection of rod'e with block B serving also to prevent the blocks Aand B and their attached parts from being separated. By the constructionthus far described it will be seen that blocks Aand B may be pressedtoward each other against the tension of springs b b, and in order tohold them in this position, for a purpose to be presently explained, Iprovide a latch of any suitable character, .connected with block B andadapted to engage rod 6, the contrivances for this purpose here shownbeing a catch or spring-bolt, 9', adapted to engage a notch or lug (notshown) on rod 6. This latching device is a desirable, though not anessential, adjunct of the device.

is Z represent rollers provided in each end with a pin, m, set in a holeformed in the end at a point eccentric to the longitudinal axis of theroller, a spring, at, being interposed between the pin and the hollow ofsaid hole, for the purpose of permitting the pin to be pressed inward inorder to remove the roller from the machine when desired, said rollersbeing held to operate with the upper or outer face of said blocks bymeans of ears or lugs 0, secured to the ends of the blocks, in holes pof which ears or lugs pins in operate as journals to rollers 70 Z.

The operation of my improved trousers.

stretcher maynow be described as follows:

Blocks A B are pressed toward each other against the tension of springsb b, and latched or locked in this position, as described, when thetrousers to be operated upon are placed in position with, say, the waistor upper portion on block A and between it and roller is, and the lowerportion, of the legs on block B and between it and roller 1, the kneeportion of the I trousers being arranged between said blocks,

and the rollers is Z being so arranged as that l ICO A B will be forcedin opposite directions by means of springsb b,putting the trousers undertension, in which position they may be left until the wrinkles and bagat the knees are removed. ,7

By my improvements at trousers-stretcher is provided which is to allintents and purposes the trousers may be kept under a uniform andcontinuous tension while in the device.

It is obvious that my improved means for putting trousers under tensionmay be employed with any known means for clamping the trousers in amachine, and that the eccentric-rollers and their adjuncts, ashereinafter claimed, may be employed with any known means for puttingthe trousers under tension.

Having thus explained the nature and object of the invention and themanner of using the same, what I claim is-- a 1. In a trousersstretcher, the combination, with a block provided with holes or sockets,springsin said sockets, and rods adapted at one of their ends to rest onsaid springs and move in said holes or sockets, of a second bloektowhich the otherends of said rods are secured, an inclependentrod securedto said first-mentioned block and being loosely connected with andhaving a limited movementwith respect to said second block, and clampingdevices connected with each of said blocks for securing a garment in thedevice, substantially as set forth.

2. In a-trousersstretch r, a pair of clamps, each comprising thefollowing devices, viz: a block, ears or lugs o, secured to the ends ofsaid block, a roller, holes formed in the ends of the roller at a pointeccentric to the lougitudinal center of the roller, springs 'n in saidholes, and pins on, set in said holes on said springs, and devices forexpanding or forcing apart a pair of clamps thus constructed, combinedand operating substantially'as hereinbefore set forth.

\Villianisville, Massachusetts, February 2,

JOSHUA B. HALE.

. Witnesses:

J OSEPH FISHER, ANNAS A. BABBITT.

